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I am a craftswoman & artist; a mother to the animals that look to me, to the trees & gardens that I’ve planted, and to the land that I am pioneering.

I was born in France and grew up outside of Geneva, in the vastness of London and in the hills of Provence & the Mediterranean area.

I was trained as an artist through mentoring & college, when in 1985 I received a BA in Fine Arts- both in studio art and art history. I was a paper maker, photographer, printer & weaver. Professionally, I represented photographers & artists in the commercial gallery system, notably Vision Gallery in San Francisco.

Today, I advocate for my own creative work… in a journey called Brizel Handcrafts. I continue to be very eclectic and work with a variety of naturally eco-friendly materials and supplies.

I craft throughout the wheel of the year- making certain products at specific times of the solar year or of the lunar cycle. Since I have chosen to live very close to the land... up in the mountains where the skies are wide & open... all Her rhythms, deep consciousness and passion reverberate in what I create.

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Brizel Handcrafts can be found on ETSY.

At Brizel Handcrafts you will find a variety of colorful unique special occasion items all handmade from eco-friendly materials... Brigid Crosses made from homegrown apple wood; Silk Tapestries in the form of Art Boxes, plush Hearts; Hip Pouches, Table Pouches, Table Rugs - all made from banana silk and reclaimed silk sari yarns. You will also find Brizel's Hip Button Belts crocheted from satin cord & embellished with vintage collectible buttons; as well as necklaces and bracelets created with Tagua Nut wood and natural clay ceramic beads.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Operation Lavender...

Operation Lavender

Twilight Project Updates 2011 / 4

Operation Lavender was the project name for replacing ten of the lavender plants in the Winter Spiral, an enormous walk in circle, comprised of a grouping of 18 different apple trees with lavenders planted in between each.

Last June, Twilight saw a wildfire sweeping through the property and by good fortune the flames snaked around the outbuildings, orchards & gardens in a fashion that minimized destruction to all that i hold dear. That is not to say that we did not sustain damages or loss around the property but the way it burned was truly a miracle.

One of my enormous nine year old French lavender Grosso, for example, was burned to death.

I only had four of this variety of lavender planted in this circle... each producing about one pound of organic lavender bud per year... handpicked & processed by me to sell in bulk in thebrizel4TheAnimals shop !

Brizel4TheAnimals Organic Lavender Bud

French lavender is one of the most popular lavenders... not only because folks use it to make potporri, sachets and dream pillows with it but also because it is prized as an essential oil and also utilized for scenting soap, shampoos etc.

Personally, I love to use it in a much simpler traditional manner... sprinkling the buds into my foot bath and soaking in the aroma in that fashion ! It is both soothing & envigorating :)

Lavender Product Photo: Brizel4TheAnimals

Because I quickly sell out of the lavender bud every year & also due to the loss of my oldest producing French lavender... I decided to expand the French lavenders in the Winter Spiral by replacing it and some of my older Spanish lavenders.

Spanish Lavender

Although Spanish lavenders can be a very prolific showy lavender which the bees certainly do adore... I wanted to increase my French lavender production opportunities !

I will, of course, still have some Spanish lavender here at Twilight, especially since it blooms after the rosemary does and before the French lavender blossoms, essentially providing the perfect floral bridge between the other two.

One of the goals here at Twilight is to provide an uninterrupted abundance of florals in order to attract & keep pollinators, such as bees, on the premises at all times !

So, out came a bunch of Spanish lavender...

... and in came new French Lavenders (Provence variety) ...

Lavendula Provence

Thanks to the patronage of my parents, Edward & Anne, ten French lavender plants (5 one-gallon & 5 five-gallon) were planted in the Winter Spiral early this spring !

I look forward... in years to come... leaning into large French lavender bushes on a sunny day... pruners in hand... taking in the magical aromas... to carry away beaucoup bouquets of flowers... both to enjoy & dry.

4 comments:

Wow, that's some project! The new plants look beautiful! What do you have around it - looks like tiny stones? Yes, I think your lavender is the best - something special is added by growing in the mountains I think. xo, Lisa

I can't believe it's been a year since the fire! Wow! And so much has happened since then... many good and wondrous things. I love what you do at Twilight and I love your passion for it and for the environment which shows in your posts about your lovely dwelling space. Thanks for sharing and enlightening us.

WELCOME... to my blog !

Home to Brizel Handcrafts, Brizel Supplies & Brizel 4 The Animals... also to Twilight and anything else to do with me: Nicole, Hazel, & Brizel !

I've been blogging here for five years now... I love to share what's closest to my heart: often its about my handcrafts; my land: Twilight; my animal pack; animal shamanism; homeopathy for animals; animal advocacy; Team EFA: Etsy for Animals; my online businesses, buttons or crafting materials i'm in love with... And finally... my posts serve as an opportunity to express gratitude to those who support me.

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Brizel4TheAnimals is a fundraising shop donating 10% of its sales to animal charity.

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Brizel4TheAnimals on Etsy

Brizel Supplies on Etsy... sells ALL KiNDS of fabulous sewing buttons from around the world which have either been unveiled from time bomb stashes or carefully uncarded from estate piles in order to create delicious ViNTAGE upcycled sets for your consideration AND there you will also find the ever so beautiful NEW Czech glass art buttons + some colorful plastic floral button embellishments.